Engineering Manager Job Description Template

Engineering manager inspecting a piece of machinery with his colleagues.

The title of “engineering manager” is shared across a wide range of industries and sectors. From software development to product design and manufacturing, what managers in this career category have in common is knowing how to manage processes, projects, and people.

They must be able to command respect from their direct reports on the manufacturing floor or deep inside a line of complex computer code. But the candidate with the most brilliant technical skills isn’t always the clear choice to lead an engineering team. As with any management hire, the best boss is often the candidate who combines technical know-how with strong soft skills such as a clear communication style, team leadership, and mentoring skills.

These professionals should understand how your product is made, but also how it’s marketed and sold. They should know your firm’s manufacturing process inside and out, but also have a wider understanding of the competitive landscape. An engineering manager’s responsibilities may also include worker safety, environmental compliance, meeting quality targets, and communicating with investors, suppliers, and potential customers.

The engineering manager job description below can be tailored to meet the needs of recruiters and hiring managers across a range of fields, including industrial, computer, and mechanical engineering. For more ideas on what to include in your engineering manager job description, you can browse Monster’s engineering job listings.

Engineering manager inspecting a piece of machinery with his colleagues.

Engineering Manager

[Intro Paragraph] Begin your engineering manager job description with a concise paragraph or list of bulleted items designed to sell your workplace to applicants. Are you an industry leader working on cutting-edge technology, a known brand with worldwide reach and lots of opportunity for advancement, or a fast-paced young startup developing cool gadgets in a creative workspace? You should highlight whatever makes your workplace special near the top of your job post. This is also a great place to talk about your philosophy toward work-life balance, community service and engagement, or career development and advancement.

Engineering Manager Job Responsibilities: In this section, you’ll want to use a bulleted list to explain the role’s responsibilities in order of importance, as illustrated below:

  • Designs, implements, and refines product development, testing, and manufacturing processes.
  • Manages staff and assigns tasks to engineering and technical personnel.
  • Leads teams in the development of new products, solutions, and processes.
  • Oversees project logistics and resource allocation.
  • Strives to improve efficiency and sustainability of processes and product designs, and to reduce waste.
  • Secures the resources needed for teams to excel, including researching and proposing capital investments.
  • Helps to create and oversee project budgets and engages in cost management strategies.
  • Attends trade shows and conferences, and makes site visits to suppliers’ facilities.
  • Advocates on behalf of team members by securing adequate resources for success.
  • Communicates technical information to non-technical stakeholders, including investors and potential customers.
  • Maintains high level expertise in their field or sector.
  • Assures that processes meet quality and safety compliance guidelines.
  • Collaborates with other team leaders and departments.
  • Forges and maintains relationships with suppliers and customers.

[Work Hours & Benefits] In this section you should aim to sell the position to potential applicants, just like the first section of your technical writer job description sold candidates on your workplace. Highlight the position’s salary range, benefits, and bonus potential. To ensure that the salary range you mention is in line with similar engineering manager salaries in your sector, community or region, use a salary tool that allows you to input job title and location.

Engineering Manager Qualifications/Skills: In this section of your engineering manager job description, you should use a bullet list to convey the qualifications you are seeking in an ideal candidate. If the list gets long, consider breaking it into two separate lists labeled as “Required” and “Preferred.” Whether you use one list or two, begin with the most important skills you are seeking, as illustrated below:

  • Personnel and project management skills
  • Expert-level knowledge of sector technology and processes
  • Strategic thinking
  • Leadership, teambuilding, and mentoring skills
  • Strong communication, interpersonal, and conflict resolution skills
  • Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
  • Data analytics skills and experience
  • Attention to detail
  • Flexible thinking, including the ability to pivot and try new approaches when faced with challenges
  • Organizational, planning, and documentation skills
  • Proficiency using presentation software to explain complex information to non-technical management personnel and other stakeholders
  • Ability to work on multiple projects in various stages simultaneously
  • Past use of Agile/Scrum or similar collaborative tools a plus
  • Experience using computer-aided design (CAD) platforms
  • Experience using System Applications and Products (SAP) software

Education, Experience, & Licensing Requirements:

  • BS in engineering required
  • 4-5 years relevant work experience
  • 1-2 years management experience
  • Master’s degree in engineering or MBA a plus

[Call to Action] Your engineering manager job description should finish strong with a call to action that urges applicants to fill out an online application and/or send a resume and cover letter to a designated recruiter.

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